The
Americas, or America, are the lands of the Western
hemisphere or New World, comprising the continents
of North America and South America with their associated
islands and regions. America may be ambiguous in English,
as it is more commonly used to refer to the United
States of America. The Americas cover 8.3% of the
Earth's total surface area (28.4% of its land area)
and contain about 13.5% of the human population (about
900 million people).
The
United States of America (commonly referred to as
the United States, the U.S., the USA, or America)
is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty
states and a federal district. The country is situated
mostly in central North America, where its forty-eight
contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital
district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans,
bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the
south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of
the continent, with Canada to the east and Russia
to the west across the Bering Strait. The state of
Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country
also possesses several territories in the Caribbean
and Pacific.
At
3.79 million square miles (9.83 million km2) and with
about 309 million people, the United States is the
third or fourth largest country by total area, and
the third largest both by land area and population.
It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and
multicultural nations, the product of large-scale
immigration from many countries. The U.S. economy
is the largest national economy in the world, with
an estimated 2008 gross domestic product (GDP) of
US $14.4 trillion (a quarter of nominal global GDP
and a fifth of global GDP at purchasing power parity).
Indigenous
peoples, probably of Asian origin, have inhabited
what is now the mainland United States for many thousands
of years. This Native American population was greatly
reduced by disease and warfare after European contact.
The United States was founded by thirteen British
colonies located along the Atlantic seaboard. On July
4, 1776, they issued the Declaration of Independence,
which proclaimed their right to self-determination
and their establishment of a cooperative union. The
rebellious states defeated Great Britain in the American
Revolutionary War, the first successful colonial war
of independence. The Philadelphia Convention adopted
the current United States Constitution on September
17, 1787; its ratification the following year made
the states part of a single republic with a strong
central government. The Bill of Rights, comprising
ten constitutional amendments guaranteeing many fundamental
civil rights and freedoms, was ratified in 1791.
In
the 19th century, the United States acquired land
from France, Spain, the United Kingdom, Mexico, and
Russia, and annexed the Republic of Texas and the
Republic of Hawaii. Disputes between the agrarian
South and industrial North over states' rights and
the expansion of the institution of slavery provoked
the American Civil War of the 1860s. The North's victory
prevented a permanent split of the country and led
to the end of legal slavery in the United States.
By the 1870s, the national economy was the world's
largest.
The
Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed
the country's status as a military power. It emerged
from World War II as the first country with nuclear
weapons and a permanent member of ththe United Nations
Security Council. The end of the Cold War and the
dissolution of the Soviet Union left the United States
as the sole superpower. The country accounts for two-fifths
of global military spending and is a leading economic,
political, and cultural force in the world. (Credit:
Wikipedia).
It
may seem difficult but it is important that all
citizens across the world stay updated with Internet
Betting laws. Below you will find what we understand
as the laws to online betting in certain areas
of the world.
US
Internet Betting Laws
The United States of America has the most ambiguous
online casino laws in the world. They have passed
laws to ban banks from allowing transactions that
are deemed illegal, but no one has any idea what
the United States considers legal or illegal.
Currently, all US citizens are advised to check
with local laws before gambling online. Even the
online casinos aren't sure if you should be allowed
to bet at their site. Some companies don't allow
US players, others allow some US players, and
some could care less where a player is from.
UK
Internet Casino Laws
The UK is the first major country to completely
legalize and regulate online gambling. The Gambling
Act of 2005 was passed while Prime Minister Tony
Blair was in office. Blair had a flair for expanding
gambling, but when Gordon Brown took over as Prime
Minister in the UK he provided a tax structure
that was so high that most online casino companies
were not urged to relocate to England. Today,
all web branded casinos that are in a UK approved
jurisdiction are legal for UK citizens to play
at.
International
Online Betting Laws
As the world gets deeper into the 21st century
and the Internet becomes a more common cultural
tool more and more countries are realizing the
reality that is Internet gambling. Currently,
Spain, Italy, Germany and other countries have
moved to legalize and regulate the industry, while
few still look to protect their homeland gaming
monopolies. It is extremely important to check
all local, state, and federal laws before participating
in any online gambling activities.
